Players who lit up Gameday 1 in Joburg's Elite 16 

 

JOHANNESBURG (South Africa) - Opening day action at the East Division Elite 16 witnessed some outstanding performances from all the eight teams in action.

Here are some players that lit up the atmosphere at the Ellis Park Arena in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Dane Miller Jr (City Oilers)

The 33-year-old power forward who had previously represented Guinean side Seydou Legacy Athlétique Club (SLAC) was a joy to watch as City Oilers came from behind to beat COSPN of Madagascar 81-76.

Miller dropped a match-high 26 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists to lead his side's comeback win with an efficiency of 28.

He barely put a foot wrong, converting 62.5 % of his field-goal attempts for 20 points adding six of nine on the free-throw line for the spectacular performance.

Jermel Kennedy (Ferroviario da Beira)

The small forward may have fallen a point short of matching the top scorer in the match with 12, but his efficiency of 17 was no mistake as he dominated the boards for 14 rebounds adding 2 assists and a steal to his tally.

Jermel Kennedy

The 34-year-old Canadian, who is in his second stint with Ferroviario da Beira since the 2022 BAL Season, combined well with Helton Ubisse who had 10 rebounds and Kenneti Mendes who top-scored for the side with 12 to guide the side to a 75-55 win over JBC of Zimbabwe.

Khaman Maluach (NBA Academy Africa)

The seven-footer South Sudanese international brought his experience from the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup and from the last BAL season, where he helped AS Douanes reach the Final, as the youngsters torched Tanzania's Pazi 84-57

At 17, Maluach has mastered the art of leadership, almost to perfection and his presence on the court is undeniable. Playing for 28.13 minutes, he scored 7 of his 12 field-goal attempts, adding 4 from the line for 19 points, a tally only matched by Amar Diop.

Maluach recorded his first double-double with 13 rebounds while swatting 5 Pazi shots to finish the match with a 31 rating.

Terry Larrier (Cape Town Tigers )

It was no ordinary match when Tigers took on Dynamo BBC as the hosts were out to break a jinx of losing to Burundian sides in the Elite 16.

Larrier, who was on the floor for slightly over 35 minutes led the charts for the side's 76-61 comeback win, scoring 25 with 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals for a 28 rating on efficiency.

Bishop Michael Coulter (COSPN) 

Even though the Malagasy representatives suffered a painful loss to the Ugandan champions City Oilers, they gave a good account of themselves as they fought to the last whistle.

The American power forward was 7 of 11 for 16 points, pulling down 12 boards, 8 on the defence and added 3 steals to his tally for a 25 rating on efficiency.

FIBA